Blower



June 30, 1942. R. K. ODOR ET AL' 2,287,822

BLOWER Filed July 26, 1940 Patented June 30, 1 9 42 i entree storage BLDWER- Ralph K. @dor, Edmond, Dkla, and Kern Dodge,

'-'lPhiladelphia, Pa", assignors to .i. H. Everest, Errett Newby, M. W. McKenzie, William H. Odor, Ralph K. Odor, H. Barney @rawford, all of Oklahoma County, kla.,' and Kern Dodge, Philadelphia, Pa, as trustees" Application July 26, 1940, Serial No. 347,730

8 Claims; "I'his invention relates to improvements in 'blowers of the centrifugal type, and a principal object of the invention is to provide means for substantially increasing the air output of a given blower without, however, increasing the power input.

In theattached drawing:

Figure l is a view in perspective of a blower assembly made in accordance with our invention,

Atthe opposite side of the casing from the motor.

3 is'a circular opening 5 the diameter of which corresponds approximately to the inner diameter of the rotor 2, as measured from the inner edges of the vanes 2a, and the opening 5 constitutes the admission port through which air is drawn into the casing by the action of the rotor. The casing comprises also an exhaust ordischarge port 6 which extends inthe customary 1 manner in a direction approximately tangential to'the rotor. In the operation of a blower of this type, therefore, the air-is taken into the interior of the rotor in a substantially axial direction, then moves outwardly in a radial direction to and through the blades of the rotor, and is eventually discharged iron: the casing through the dis charge port. To facilitate movement of the air as described, the inner axial end of the rotor 2,

i. e., that end which 'is-rela-tively remote to the intake opening 5, is formed with a conical balile l which directs the air moving; into the rotor in the axial direction outwardly toward the rotor blades. Insofar as described above, the blower .is entirelyconventional.

' In accordance with our invention, we provide at theopening band extending outwardly from said opening infaxial alignment with the rotor 2 a tubular assembly which in the illustrated embodiment comprises three funnel-like tubes of differing efiective diameters arranged coaxially and in telescoped relation, the larger end of each stance, the larger of the tubes, 8, is mounted with its inner or smaller end in direct registration with the intake opening 5 of the casing,'the tube being connected to the casing through the medium of a flange 9 and screws it as illustrated. The inner or smaller end of the tube 8 conforms accurately in size to the said intake opening 5 of thecasing. The next smaller tube, ll, of the assembly is suitably supported, as by struts or tie rods l2, within the tube 8, and the tube H has an inner flared extension 03 which projects into the interior of the rotor 2 and extends on a smooth curve outwardly into close proximity to'the inner periphery of the rotor. The smaller of the tubes of the assembly, designated by the reference-numeral It, terminates in the interior .of the tube II at a point in the present instance approximately in line with the outer extremity ofthe tube 8, and the tube I l may be supported 'from the tube I l by means of the struts or tie rods id as illustrated.

It will now be Iapparentthat air entering the casing I and the interior of the rotor 2 through the tubular assembly described above will be divided, in efiect, into two principalcomponents; one or thesecomponents entering through the tube 5 land the extension l3 of'that tube, and the other component through the tube 8 and-between the latter tube and the outer surface of the tube ll. The'iirst of these components is directed to the inner end of the rotor and is a guided outwardly between the bafiie I and the flared end of the extension l3 toward the rotor blades. The second component is directed to the outer end of the rotor, i. e., that end which immediately adjoins the intake opening 5 of the casing, and in this case also the air is directed outwardly by the flared surface of the tubular extension 83 toward the rotor blades. Preferably the elements of the tubular assembly are so relatively proportioned and arranged that the indrawn air will be distributed-with substantial uniformity over the axial length of the rotor blades. To this end, we prefer to form the tubes so that the minimum transverse area of the tube H shall be approximately one-half of the corresponding minimum area of the largest tube 8,

I and the outer or intake ends of thetubes are relof the smaller tubes of said assembly projecting from and extending beyond the corresponding endof the next larger tube. In the present inatively proportioned and positioned to create substantially equal air-flow capacities in the ducts through which the two aforesaid components of the air intake pass to the rotor. Similarly, the extension 53 of the tube H is' so proportioned and arranged that its inner edge shall lie in proximityto theblades 2a of the rotor formdistribution of incoming air, the contours of the respective tubes play an important part. Where, as in the presentinstance, the components of the incoming air are designed to be substantially equal, it is desirable that the velocities of said components at the intake port shall also be substantially equal, with a .possibly slightly greater velocity in favor of the component entering by way of the passages B and C. S ce the air entering through the respective p ssages must travel over paths of diflerent lengths, the

accelerationsof the air in the said passages must also differ in order that the terminal velocities may bear the required relation. The contours of the tubes control the acceleration factor. The relatively wide flare of the tube 8 as compared with that of the tube Ii, for example, so forms the passages A and B that the acceleration of I rially-in excess of twice the area the air in the former is relatively slow as compared with the acceleration of theair in the latter passage, and a similar relation exists between the passages B and C. In'this manner, the passages are designed to afford terminal velocities at the intake port 5 of the casing for the two principal components of the incoming air calculated to give the. aforesaid substantially uniform delivery of air to the rotor.

. It will be noted that each of the ducts or air passages A, B and C provided by the tubular assembly decreases in effective area toward the inner end, and as a result, the velocity of the air drawn through these passages by the action of the rotor is gradually increased to the point where'it enters the casing. This high velocity air, which in itself has a favorable effect upon; the efiiciency of the blower, is not discharged indiscriminately into the rotor, but is directed and distributed in emcient msnner to the rotor blades by the battle extension I! to further substantial advantage. The ba iie it has the property of increasing blower efilciency independently of the other elements of the tubular assembly,

but the improvements resulting from the use of the bailie alone, or of-the'tubes in the absence of those illustrated and described without departure from the invention. These factors'will be controlled to some extent by the physical and functional characteristics of the particular blower.

- While desirable, it is not essential, for example,

to extend the smaller tubes beyond the end of the largest, and where limitations of available space. require, the outer ends of the tubes may terminate in a common plane. A substantial advantage in accordance with the invention may be realized by use of but two tubes corresponding tovthe tubes 8 and II of the illustrated embodiment; or, in fact, by use alone of the tube II with its extension ls. Similarly the number of tubes in the assembly may be increased; and

the axial contour of the tubes may also vary considerably from that illustrated without departure from the invention.

We claim:

1. In a blower, a casing having intake and discharge ports, a centrifugal rotor intermediate said ports, a tubular assembly extending outwardly from the intake port of said blower and consisting of a plurality of funnel-like tubes decreasing in cross-sectional area toward said port and assembled .in nested and relatively spaced relation one within another so as to aflord between each adjoining pair of tubes a longitudinally extending intake channel, the sum of the effective intake areas of all the channels through said assembly -as measured in the planes of the outer ends of the respective tubes being mateof the intake port of said casing. I

2. In a blower, a casing having intake and discharge ports, a centrifugal rotor intermediate said ports, a tubular assembly extending outwardly from'the intake port of said blower and consisting of a plurality of funnel-like tubes decreasing in cross-sectional area toward said port and assembled in nested and relatively spaced relation one within another so as-to afford between each adjoining pair of tubes a longitudin'ally extending intake channel, the cross-sectional area of said channel decreasing toward the said intake port, and the sum of the effective in- 3. In a blower, a casing having intake and discharge ports, a centrifugal rotor intermediate said ports, a tubular assembly extending outwardly from the intake port of said blower and being materially in excess of twice the area of the intake port of said casing.

. 4. In a blower, a casinghaving intake and discharge ports, a centrifugal rotor intermediate said ports, a tubular assembly extending outwardly from the intake port of said blower and consisting of a plurality of funnel-like tubes decreasing in cross-sectional area toward said port and assembled in nested and relatively spaced relation one within another so as to afford between each adjoining pair of tubes a longitudinally exsaid ports, a tubular assembly extending outward- 1y from the intake port of said blower and confrom the intake port of said blower and consisting of a plurality of funnel-like tubes decreasing in cross-sectional area toward said port and assembled in nested and relatively spaced relation one of said tubes into proximity to the inner periphery of said rotor.

- 7. In a b1ower, a casing having intake and discharge ports, a centrifugal rotor intermediate said ports. and a tubular member mounted in and spaced from the peripheral edge of said intake one withinanother so as to aflord between each adjoining pair of tubes a longitudinally extending intake channel, and means in the interior of said rotor for predeterminedly distributing the fluid entering the casing by way of said channels to the rotor, said distributing means, comprising a tubular baflie extending from the inner end of port, said member flaring inwardly and having its inner peripheral edge in proximity to and ina vradial plane intermediate the ends of said rotor,

the said member extending outwardly from said intake port and increasing in diameter toward the outer extremity.

8. In a blower, a casing having intake and discharge ports; a centrifugal rotor intermediate said ports, annular means dividing said intake port into a plurality of concentric intake areas, said means comprising at least one duct extending outwardly from said port and increasing in diameter' toward its outer extremity, and means in the interior of said rotor for connecting said areas individually with different axial sections of said rotor. v

RALPH K. ODOR. KERN DODGE. 

